


i hope i'm not late

by qkdxksthsuseks



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Inspired By Tumblr, awww, i love both of them so much omg, super duper cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-21 15:45:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15561114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qkdxksthsuseks/pseuds/qkdxksthsuseks
Summary: It's Career Day. Parents show up at their kid's school and explain their jobs. Peter never really thought it was sad that none of his parents ever made it, because his aunt usually came. Or his uncle. But this year, it was different; Aunt May said she couldn't come. So Peter sits at the back of the classroom, watching other people's parents explain their job. He feels lonely, for the first time.





	i hope i'm not late

"Hi, I'm Michelle's mom." 

Peter's eyes glazed over the woman speaking at the front. She had warm eyes, a hand reassuring placed on Michelle's reluctant shoulder. He glanced around the room, seeing everyone with their own parents. It didn't matter if only a dad or a mom could make it, they all had people on their sides. He stared down at the ground, at his own fidgeting hands. He never felt lonely at these parts. Because his aunt or uncle usually came. And everyone loved them. 

But this year, neither could come. Well, his Uncle Ben has passed away a long time ago. And his Aunt May had recently started working a new place, which meant she barely had any time to give to Peter. He thought he didn't mind. I mean, how important can it mean? He said with a bright smile that she didn't need to come. Now he was slightly regretting it. 

Just as another parent went up with their embarrassed child, Peter stood up and quietly tip-toed to the teacher. 

"Umm, Mr. Harrington?" 

"Yes, Mr. Parker." 

"I totally forgot to mention it but my Aunt can't make it today. I'm sorry I should've told you earlier." 

He didn't forget. He just didn't want to make a big deal out of it. He knew his teacher would fuss and even offer to  _donate_ a spare parent so Peter won't be embarrassed. What he didn't know was what really embarrassed an average teenager:  _pity._ And eventually people would find out, they always did. 

"Oh? Really? Well, thenㅡ" 

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Harrington, but you can just skip my turn." 

Flashing a warm smile, Peter returned to his seat, feeling somewhat triumphant. He felt like he did something great, something smart. Even Mr. Stark would give him extra points for that. He checked his phone for not much of a reason and stared into space as more and more parents came to the front, said something embarrassing, and went back. He would give anything to have an experience like that. 

"Well, I think that's all of the parents done with embarrassing their child," Mr. Harrington clapped, sending a ripple of laughter and muffled giggles. 

"Mr. Harrington, Peter hasn't gone!" Flash's voice rang out. 

Peter wanted to disappear into a warmhole. Everyone was staring at him now. He felt his face getting flushed with embarrassment as people whispered behind him. They were probably explaining his backstory, to the whole world. And he felt it,  _pity._ It was seeping into everyone's brain, some kind of twisted sympathy springing in their hearts. He didn't want that! Why couldn't people just understand that he's just another perfectly ordinary teenager? 

"Uh, well," Mr. Harrington's voice quivered. 

"That kid is right, give him an extra Me-Wow sticker." 

That voice. Peter thought he was imagining for a spit-second. He whirled around, gaping, as the door flew opened and his one and only role model walked in. He was all tuxedos and cocktail, except for his right arm, the only part in his body that had its Iron Man suit. Tony didn't seem to notice it, smiling as he walked in. Everyone gaped at him, the infamous superhero slash billionaire. He looked too real to be some sort of hologram.  

Tony Stark in the flesh. 

"Um, sir, I'm sorry but why are you ... here?" Mr. Harrington finally managed to choke out, his eyes wide. 

Tony crinkled his nose as if the answer was crystal clear. "It's Career Day, isn't it? Or maybe I got it wrong, is it Take Your Kid To Work Day? I always get those two mixed up." He checked his watch, as if wondering what time it is. "And my boy doesn't beg about it but how can I miss a day like this?" He smiled, warmth radiating from his face. His eyes scanned across the awe-struck parents. 

"Oh," Mr. Harrington blinked. "Wait, your boyㅡ" 

"Why, yes, Mr. Harrington," Tony smiled as if it was obvious. He walked around the classroom and placed a hand on Peter's shoulder. "I'm here for Peter Parker. As his half-dad and half-mentor." 

The room exploded. But in a good way. Peter felt his breath noticeably become shorter. He looked up at his idol, his face filled with shock and ecstasy at the same time. So he did listen to the voice mails. He did give attention to him. A lurking pride started growing within. Courage sprang. 

"Peter, you know Iron Man?" 

Peter ignored Flash's outburst and continued to stare at Tony with awe and respect. "Mr. Stark!" he finally managed to choke out.

"C'mon, Peter, it's our show time," Tony said as he prompted Peter up to the front of the room. Peter stared back at the beady eyes, feeling overwhelmed yet happy at the same time. 

"Sir, you really didn't have toㅡ," Peter whispered. 

"I hope I'm not too late," Tony hushed back. 

"Late? Mr. Stark, it's alright if you're late. You're here," Peter said, wondering if tears will be springing in his eyes now. He looked down at his shoes, feeling the embarrassment wash over him. 

"Hello, everyone," Tony waved. "My name is Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man." Someone whistled. "And I'm up here to talk about my job. I don't do much, really. It's mostly the rest of the team doing stuff and I'm just there to make it perfect. I build things, sometimes breaks things, pay the money to make up for it, and make sure no one's hurt." He patted Peter. "And it's also my job to make sure this little boy over here don't over do stuff." 

Panic overrode Peter for a second. "They don't know I'm Spider-man," he frantically said in a barely audible voice. 

"You see this over here?" Tony waved his Iron Man-ed hand. The red caught in the light, glinting for a moment. Then in two seconds, the layer of metal disappeared into his watch. "Parker over here made accommodations to this very gadget. While he was making it he also suggested to put a personal bathroom in the labㅡ" 

"Mr. Stark!" Peter hissed. 

***

"Mr. Stark," Peter said. 

"Yeah, kid?" 

"Thanks for coming today." 

They sat on top of Burger King, watching the glowing sunset fade into the horizon, blasting out multicolored beams across the tainted the sky. Both of them had a burger in their hands, soundlessly enjoying the meal. It was silent, for a long time but it wasn't the awkward kind. It was the mutual, respectful, comfortable silence. Peter thought he hadn't had one of those in a while. 

"You're welcome, that's what sappy father-figures do," Tony replied. 

"You're sappy?" Peter shrilled, his eyes wide. "You're my father-figure?" The second question was softer, a little more muted. 

"Well, I try to," Tony said, shrugging. Peter blinked, wondering what question he was answering. Was he trying to be sappy? Was he trying to his father-figure? He just shrugged and stared blankly as the sun went down, the vibrant glow settling into him. It didn't matter. He would figure out later on. 

"Mr. Stark." 

"Yeah?" 

"It's Take Your Kid To Work next week." 

"We're not there yet." 


End file.
